Laura Field, Whittman-Hart & USWeb/CKS, 312/913-3052
[email protected]
Janet Northen, McKinney & Silver, 919/821-6461
[email protected]
Whittman-Hart & USWeb/CKS Selects Branding, Advertising Agencies for Combined Company
VSA Partners, McKinney & Silver Known for Creativity, Big-Brand Expertise
CHICAGO - March 3, 2000 - The combined entity of Whittman-Hart & USWeb/CKS (NASDAQ: WHIT), a leading global Internet professional services firm, today announced that it has selected VSA Partners and McKinney & Silver as its agencies of record for branding and advertising, respectively.
Headquartered in Chicago, privately held VSA will work with the combined company to define its brand strategy and execute internal and external communications including corporate identity, Web and collateral applications. VSA's client portfolio includes Coca-Cola, Time Warner, Ameritrade and Harley-Davidson.
Raleigh, N.C.-based McKinney & Silver, a Whittman-Hart & USWeb/CKS company, will create integrated marketing programs, including global advertising, designed to foster an understanding of the new organization's brand. Some of McKinney & Silver's clients are Audi of America, Aetna USHealthcare, Bacardi-Martini USA and Ben & Jerry's Homemade.
The global brand management team from Whittman-Hart & USWeb/CKS will lead the agencies and supplement their creative development efforts.
"The new company we're creating through the merger of Whittman-Hart and USWeb/CKS will give the same care and attention to building its own brand as it does to its clients' brands," said Tom Suiter, Chief Creative Officer of the new organization. "We are pioneering a company that the marketplace hasn't seen before, so it's critical that our brand and advertising consistently and effectively communicate the unique value we bring to our clients.
"Both VSA Partners and McKinney & Silver are renowned for top-shelf creative work with big brands. Working with them gives us valuable insight and allows us to build a compelling brand without pulling our strategy and creative experts away from our valued clients."
The combined company will announce its new name on March 23 and launch its new brand and global advertising campaign later in the year.
About Whittman-Hart & USWeb/CKS
Whittman-Hart & USWeb/CKS is a global Internet professional services firm that helps clients win in the digital economy by strengthening the integration of their business models, brands, systems and processes. Headquartered in Chicago, the combined entity of Whittman-Hart & USWeb/CKS fuses imagination, know-how and passion to create fundamental business innovation for clients.